John Franklin Haskins: a Tribute to a Warrior
This post is somewhat different, but sometimes a warrior needs recognition. John F. Haskins was born in 1919 in Colorado, a seasoned horseman who never quite fit "the mold." During the Second World War, he was a member of the Flying Tigers and defended China from invasion, becoming fluent in both the Chinese and Russian languages. He was recalled to duty during the Korean Conflict, operating as an Intelligence Officer.
As an academic, he became interested in the art and prehistory of Eastern Asia. Here's what his biographer, K. Lindaff, thought of him, "John was not content to catalog and arrange materials from existing collections, but instead decided to tackle newly excavated materials at a then little-known site called Pazyryk; and in unprecedented fashion, he insisted on going to see them. This was in 1958-- imagine the dismay of the Soviet officials when they found him, without official consent, riding into the sites on a range pony!
This kind of unexpected, unauthorized behavior characterized his scholarship-- he chose unchosen topics, he read neglected texts (in 13 languages), he asked unasked questions and came up with unexpected interpretations. Who were the royal occupants of these tombs at Pazyryk? He told his students that they were the ancient Yueh-chih mentioned by Chinese historians and, increasingly, current archaeological evidence supports his thesis against a myriad of others."
John Haskins held a professorship at Pittsburgh University from 1964 to 1987, remaining Professor Emeritus of that institution until his death in 1991. He was the first American academic to write about the Pazyryk-Chinese connection. In 1956, he made public the linkage of the Pazyryks to the Yuezhi. His ground-breaking work is often overlooked, simply because it's found online under, The Bulletin of the Needle and Bobbin Club, Vol. 40, Nos. 1 & 2. The 45-page paper was a result of a 1955 New York lecture, "Pazyrik, the Valley of the Frozen Tombs," and contains an analysis of Kurgan 5, the Pazyryk culture, and its relationship to China and the West.
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A silk-covered saddle cloth with a Chinese embroidered pheasant, Pazyryk Kurgan 5
In 1963, he published an article on Shih-chia-shan (Fortress Hill) in ancient Yunnan Province, and featured a connection between early Chinese and the "nomads." Later, in 1988, he published a short paper, "China and the Altai," an encapsulated edition of his 1956 work. Professor Haskins wasn't a prolific writer: he was a maverick, and a teacher. Most important, he had grit-- riding into Russia on horseback during the hottest point of the Cold War. He thought for himself, and was the first historian (majoring in Scythian art and Oriental fabrics) to realize the Pazyryk elite were nobles of the Yuezhi. I salute him.
This post is somewhat different, but sometimes a warrior needs recognition. John F. Haskins was born in 1919 in Colorado, a seasoned horseman who never quite fit "the mold." During the Second World War, he was a member of the Flying Tigers and defended China from invasion, becoming fluent in both the Chinese and Russian languages. He was recalled to duty during the Korean Conflict, operating as an Intelligence Officer.
As an academic, he became interested in the art and prehistory of Eastern Asia. Here's what his biographer, K. Lindaff, thought of him, "John was not content to catalog and arrange materials from existing collections, but instead decided to tackle newly excavated materials at a then little-known site called Pazyryk; and in unprecedented fashion, he insisted on going to see them. This was in 1958-- imagine the dismay of the Soviet officials when they found him, without official consent, riding into the sites on a range pony!
This kind of unexpected, unauthorized behavior characterized his scholarship-- he chose unchosen topics, he read neglected texts (in 13 languages), he asked unasked questions and came up with unexpected interpretations. Who were the royal occupants of these tombs at Pazyryk? He told his students that they were the ancient Yueh-chih mentioned by Chinese historians and, increasingly, current archaeological evidence supports his thesis against a myriad of others."
John Haskins held a professorship at Pittsburgh University from 1964 to 1987, remaining Professor Emeritus of that institution until his death in 1991. He was the first American academic to write about the Pazyryk-Chinese connection. In 1956, he made public the linkage of the Pazyryks to the Yuezhi. His ground-breaking work is often overlooked, simply because it's found online under, The Bulletin of the Needle and Bobbin Club, Vol. 40, Nos. 1 & 2. The 45-page paper was a result of a 1955 New York lecture, "Pazyrik, the Valley of the Frozen Tombs," and contains an analysis of Kurgan 5, the Pazyryk culture, and its relationship to China and the West.
A silk-covered saddle cloth with a Chinese embroidered pheasant, Pazyryk Kurgan 5
In 1963, he published an article on Shih-chia-shan (Fortress Hill) in ancient Yunnan Province, and featured a connection between early Chinese and the "nomads." Later, in 1988, he published a short paper, "China and the Altai," an encapsulated edition of his 1956 work. Professor Haskins wasn't a prolific writer: he was a maverick, and a teacher. Most important, he had grit-- riding into Russia on horseback during the hottest point of the Cold War. He thought for himself, and was the first historian (majoring in Scythian art and Oriental fabrics) to realize the Pazyryk elite were nobles of the Yuezhi. I salute him.
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
